Erdoğan criticized over "PKK children' statement

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has drawn criticism from the opposition over his words encouraging an MP to have more children.

Erdoğan gave Mehmet Ali Çelebi who joined AKP his party rosette during the party's Parliamentary Group Meeting on Wednesday, October 20. Shaking his hand, he asked Çelebi, "How many children do you have?"

Çelebi answered, "One Sir!" and added, pointing at his wife, "She is doing a doctorate, making a career."

Erdoğan responded, "No! The career is having children. We have to increase the numbers."

Asking Çelebi's wife her age and getting the response "46," Erdoğan went on to say, "Let us pray to God to continue. (Having) children is very important. Look, PKK has five, ten, fifteen."

Reactions

Meral Danış-Beştaş, the parliamentary group deputy chair of the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), accused Erdoğan of racism.

"Erdoğan knows very well that PKK members do not have children. He is getting at the Kurdish population. The Kurds have understood this," she said.

Danış-Beştaş added, "Women decide for themselves whether or not to have children," she said and denounced the "impudency of talking about women's bodies and their reproduction."

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) parliamentary group deputy chair Özgur Özel also said that he was saddened by Erdoğan's remarks.

"This suits Erdoğan but does not suit Turkey," he said. "This sentence is one which definitely is in need of correction."

Ahmet Davutoğlu, former Prime Minister and AKP member, now the leader of the Future (Gelecek) Party said Erdoğan was referring to Kurds by saying PKK.

"Since the children of this country were not born in the Qandil mountains, your point is very clear, Mr. Erdoğan. Your remarks are disrespectful to human rights and women's rights. Every child born in this country is an honorable citizen of the Republic of Turkey. Discrimination among children is racism," he said.

Ali Babacan, the leader of Turkey's Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), former AKP member and Minister of Economy, said Erdoğan's remarks are shameful.

"He tells every woman he sees how many children they should have. He knows that they [PKK members] do not give birth to 5-10 children on the mountains, but he accuses millions of our Kurdish citizens of terrorism. This is shameful," Babacan said.

Meanwhile Bulent Turan, the parliamentary group deputy chair of Erdoğan's AKP denied the claims and said "I am openmouthedly following your ideas, your judgements that this photograph which emerged was a discourse against the Kurds." (PE/VK)